Terms and Conditions

Except where otherwise specified, we Authentic Holidays Ltd act only as an agent in respect of all bookings we take and/or make on your behalf. We accept no liability in relation to any contract you enter into or for any services or arrangements you purchase ('arrangements') or for the acts or omissions of any supplier(s) or other person(s) or party(ies) connected with any arrangements. For all arrangements, your contract will be with the supplier of the arrangements ('The supplier(s)'). The terms and conditions of the supplier(s) of your confirmed arrangements will apply to your booking. These terms and conditions may limit and/or exclude the supplier's liability to you. Copies of these conditions are available on request from us.

1] Booking and payment

When you make a booking you guarantee that you have the authority to accept and do accept on behalf of all members of your party, the terms of these booking conditions. The first named person on the booking will be the party leader and will be responsible for making all payments due. He/she must be at least 18.

English Law will apply to our agreement and to any dispute or claim which arises between us out of it. Any such dispute or claim must be dealt with by the Courts of England and Wales. You may however, choose the law and jurisdiction of Scotland or Northern Ireland if you wish to do so.

In order to confirm your chosen arrangements, you must pay a deposit of £100 or 30% of the cost of the arrangements, whichever is the larger (or full payment if booking within 8 weeks of departure). Your booking is confirmed and a contract between you and the supplier will exist when we send you confirmation on their behalf.

Please note that checking availability on the web-site or over the telephone does not constitute a confirmation of the booking. It may take from several days, up to two weeks, from the booking reservation until the supplier confirms your booking. If you do not receive a confirmation invoice within two weeks, you should contact us directly to make sure that your booking has been made.

If we are unable to confirm your booking, which happens occasionally, we will offer you alternative arrangements and the choice of:
a] Accepting the alternative offered, or
b] Purchasing other accommodation at its current selling price, or
c] Accepting a full refund of all monies paid to us
You must notify us of your choice within seven days of our offer to you. If you fail to do so we will assume that you have accepted the alternative offered.

Please check your confirmation carefully and report any incorrect or incomplete information to us immediately. Please ensure that names are exactly as stated in the relevant passport. As we act only as booking agent, we have no responsibility for any errors in any documentation except where an error is made by us. You must pay the full balance by the balance due date notified to you. If full payment is not received by the balance due date, we will notify the supplier who may cancel your booking and charge the cancellation fees set out in their booking conditions.

Except where otherwise advised or stated in the booking conditions of the supplier concerned, all monies you pay to us for arrangements will be held on behalf of the supplier(s) concerned. If payment is made by credit card a handling fee of 2% will be levied.

2] Prices

The prices quoted on the web-site and in the brochure are based in pounds sterling and include VAT. We reserve the right to increase or decrease advertised prices at any time. We also reserve the right to correct errors in both advertised and confirmed prices. Special note: changes and errors sometimes occur. You must check the price of your chosen arrangements at the time of booking.

3] Administration Charge

We reserve the right to levy an administration charge in certain circumstances to cover any additional costs associated with for example, contacting suppliers to check availability or special requests, returning lost property, special ticket despatch, extra administration relating to late bookings within 7 days of departure. This charge is usually up to £25 per booking, but may be higher to cover special ticket despatch costs.

4] Insurance

You are strongly recommended to take out personal travel insurance for all members of your party. Some suppliers require that you do so. It is your responsibility to ensure that the insurance you purchase is adequate and appropriate for your particular needs. Please read your policy details on receipt and take them with you on holiday.

5] Special request

If you have any special requests (for example dietary requirements, cots or room location), please let us know at the time of booking. We will pass on all such requests to the supplier, but we can't guarantee that they will be met and we will have no liability to you if they are not. We reserve the right to levy an administration charge in certain circumstances to cover any additional costs incurred by us in dealing with such requests.

6] Changes and Cancellations by you

Any cancellation or amendment request must be sent to us in writing, by email, fax or post, and will take effect on the day we receive it at our offices at Authentic Holidays, 17 Hither Green Lane, Abbey Park, Redditch B98 9BN. Fax No: 0121-597-625. Please ensure that you have received written confirmation of any changes to your booking prior to travel. Whilst we will try to assist, we cannot guarantee that such requests will be met. Amendments and cancellations can only be accepted in accordance with the terms and conditions of the supplier of your arrangements. The supplier may charge the cancellation or amendment charges shown in their booking conditions. These charges are likely to be in the region of:-

Period before departure within which written notification of cancellation is received by us Cancellation charge per person cancelling
56 days or more Deposit
55-43 days 45%
42-29 days 65%
28-8 days 90%
7-0 or day of departure 100%

(The percentage cancellation charge detailed is calculated on the basis of the total cost payable by the person(s) cancelling excluding insurance premiums and amendment charges). Where it is possible to meet your request, the total holiday cost will be recalculated in accordance with any new arrangements. In addition you must pay us an administration fee of up to £25.00 per person for any amendments to bookings and an administration fee of up to £25.00 for cancellations. You will be notified of the exact charges at the time of amendment or cancellation.

Although we do not arrange flights on your behalf, please note that most scheduled airlines do not allow changes, and therefore full cancellation charges will usually apply. Most 'no frills' airlines have cancellation charges of 100% from time of booking.

7] Changes and Cancellations by the Supplier

We will inform you as soon as reasonably possible if the supplier needs to make a significant change to your confirmed arrangements or to cancel them. We will also liaise between you and the supplier in relation to any alternative arrangements offered by the supplier but we will have no further liability to you.

8] Our responsibility for your booking

Your contract is with the supplier and its booking conditions apply. As agent, we accept no responsibility for the actual provision of the arrangements. Our responsibilities are limited to making the booking in accordance with your instructions. We accept no responsibility for any information about the arrangements that we pass on to you in good faith. However, in the event that we are found liable to you on any basis whatsoever, our maximum liability to you is limited to the cost of your booking (or the appropriate proportion of this if not everyone on the booking is affected). We do not exclude or limit any liability for death or personal injury that arises as a result of our negligence or that of any of our employees whilst acting in the course of their employment.

Except where otherwise expressly stated in these conditions, we regret we cannot accept liability or pay any compensation where the performance or prompt performance of our obligations to you is prevented or affected by or you otherwise suffer any damage or loss as a result of 'force majeure'. In these Booking Conditions, 'force majeure' means any event which we or the supplier of the service(s) in question could not, even with all due care, foresee or avoid. Such events may include war or threat of war, riot, civil strife, actual or threatened terrorist activity, industrial dispute, natural or nuclear disaster, adverse weather conditions, fire and all similar events outside our control.

9] Complaints

Because the contract for your arrangements is between you and the supplier, any queries or concerns should be addressed to them. If you have a problem whilst on holiday, this must be reported to the supplier or their agent immediately, and you must also contact Authentic Holidays Ltd on +44 1527 597 553 and/or email sales@authentic-holidays.co.uk. If you fail to follow this procedure there will be less opportunity for the supplier to investigate and rectify your complaint. The amount of compensation you may be entitled to may therefore be reduced or extinguished as a result.

10] Accommodation Ratings and Standards

All ratings are as provided by the relevant supplier. These are intended to give a guide to the services and facilities you should expect from your accommodation. Standards and ratings may vary between countries, as well as between suppliers. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of any ratings given.

11] Documentation & Information

All descriptions and content on our website or otherwise issued by us is done so on behalf of the supplier(s) in question are intended to present a general idea of the services provided by the supplier(s) in question. Not all details of the relevant services can be included on our website. All services shown are subject to availability.

12] Accuracy of Prices and website details

Important note: the information and prices shown on this website may have changed by the time you come to book your arrangements. Although we make every effort to ensure the accuracy of the information and prices, regrettably errors do occasionally occur. You must therefore ensure you check the price and all other details of your chosen arrangements with us at the time of booking.

13] Other Services

Flights, Car Hire and Transfers are your responsibility to organise and information and links given on our web-site are to assist you in arranging your independent 'Authentic Holiday'. We accept no liability for these arrangements and you should refer to the respective suppliers terms and conditions to ensure that you are satisfied that their offerings meet your needs.

14] Whilst on Holiday.

It is not possible to make any changes to your accommodation whilst on holiday. If you leave the accommodation early, no compensation will be paid.

The accommodation booked is only available for use by those persons on the booking unless otherwise agreed by us in writing.

You are responsible for any damage caused to your holiday accommodation and any charges levied by the owner/local agent in this respect must be paid locally by you.

A deposit is payable locally and any damage, etc will be deducted from this with the remainder refunded at the time of departure. Should the damage exceed the deposit then you are liable to meet the full cost of the damage.

In most instances, costs are levied locally by the owner/agent for use of services such as heating, hot water, bed linen changes, etc. These costs must be paid locally prior to departure/return.

15] Behaviour

When you book with us, you accept responsibility for any damage or loss caused by you or any member of your party. Full payment for any such damage or loss must be paid direct at the time to the supplier(s) concerned. If you fail to do so, you will be responsible for meeting any claims subsequently made against us (together with our own and the other party’s full legal costs) as a result of your actions. Suppliers reserve the right at any time to terminate your stay/transfer or that of any member of your party due to your misconduct, where justified in their reasonable opinion. No refunds will be given. Furthermore, neither the suppliers nor we shall be under any obligation whatsoever to pay compensation or meet any costs or expenses you may incur as a result of your stay/transfer being terminated.

Important Information

A] Your Holiday Price Includes

Accommodation and facilities as confirmed. This includes crockery and utensils, etc, unless otherwise stated.

B] What is not included

All forms of Air, Sea and Land travel
Holiday Insurance; which is compulsory and you must organise
All transfers to and from airports, etc
Car Hire
Meals and Extras
Gas, electricity and water (unless otherwise stated)
Change of Bed linen (unless otherwise stated)
Refundable deposits charged by owners and local agents. These are usually paid locally to cover breakages, damage or telephone charges.
Costs incurred due to damage caused to property by you.
Final clean (unless otherwise indicated).

C] Your Accommodation

Double beds often consist of two single mattresses within a double frame or two singles linked together with a double sheet. Double rooms can be smaller than a room with twin beds. Unless specifically stated, a 3-bedded room is a double or twin with an extra bed in it and this may be of a folding type. Sometimes there is a sofa bed in the lounge or another room which acts as the bed for some members of the party. A twin room may either have 2 single beds or bunk beds.

D] Rooms with a view

When we describe a room or villa as having a sea, or other view, this may not offer an uninterrupted view and may be partially obscured by trees or other buildings. We aim to give the best possible descriptions that accurately take into account both the ambience of the surroundings as well as the practical features.

E] Satellite TV

Where we mention that a villa or apartment has satellite TV, we can make no guarantee of the channels you can watch. Usually not more than one English channel is available.

F] Air Conditioning and Heating

Some of the apartments and villas have air conditioning, or central heating, as mentioned in our descriptions. The period and hours of operation are at the owner's discretion but usually apply from July to August for air conditioning and November to March for central heating. Heating and Hot Water is normally charged locally. Please check with the owner concerned.

G] Swimming Pools

Where an apartment or villa has a swimming pool, the period when the pool is available is at the supplier’s discretion, and may also be affected by weather conditions. As they operate outside our control, we cannot guarantee their availability. Normally swimming pools are open from June to September but are at the owner’s discretion. Please check with the owner concerned.

H] Supplements

The supplements quoted under the villa or apartment descriptions for various facilities are paid locally unless otherwise stated. Sometimes it is necessary to order these facilities in advance. It is therefore important to check the web-site or brochure details carefully.

I] Villa Breakage and Deposits

A breakage and facility deposit is usually payable locally to the supplier to protect against possible damage and any relevant phone charges where a villa has a telephone for guests' usage. Where applicable this is detailed under the villa description. Deposits are payable by cash in local currency or negotiable in Pounds or travellers cheques subject to the owner or local agent.

J] Villas

Villas and apartments are cleaned before your arrival but not during your stay (unless otherwise stated). Report any broken items or lack of cleanliness to the supplier on arrival or as soon as they become apparent. The Villas/Apartments are normally available on the day of your arrival during the afternoon. On the day of departure you should vacate the property by 11am or as stated for the specific property.

K] Local Conditions

When travelling abroad we must accept that things will be different from the UK. Safety standards are those imposed by the laws and regulations of the country where the services in question are provided which could be less, or even more, stringent than those in the UK. The monitoring and enforcement of such regulations is a matter for the authorities of that country and the local supplier of the services concerned. Cots supplied abroad conform to local safety standards, but it remains your responsibility to check that they meet with your infant's requirements.

L] Building Development

Authentic Holidays take pride in offering villas and apartments that are part of the local French surroundings and create an atmosphere of living locally. Most of the accommodation offered is owned by local French families and is independent from the resort and package types of holiday. Nevertheless, resort development or building work may be in progress nearby. This work could occur without any warning to us. Whenever we are made aware of such work, and if in our view such building work is sufficiently close to your accommodation to cause disturbance and materially affect your holiday enjoyment, we will advise you where possible. See also clause 8.

M] Special Needs

We are happy to advise and assist elderly, special needs or disabled customers. However, some properties may lack even the simplest facilities such as wheelchair ramps, lifts, etc. Therefore we must be provided with full written details of any disability or special requirements before booking to ascertain whether the holiday of your choice is suitable. Failure to advise us prior to booking may result in the termination of the holiday arrangements with us, for which we would not be liable to make alternative arrangements, or to make refunds or pay compensation.

N] Passport and Visas

It is your responsibility to be in possession of a full ten year passport and any necessary visas. Under 16's who are not already included on their parents' passport are required to have their own passport. A visa is not necessary for British passport holders. Holders of non-EU and EEA passports and non-British citizens are strongly advised to check with the relevant consulate whether a visa is required, and with British Immigration for re-entry into the UK. The name on the ticket must match the name on the passport and newly-weds must bring proof of name change. A charge may be applicable if it is necessary to reissue tickets.

O] Your Health Abroad

Health facilities, hygiene and disease risks vary considerably. You should take health advice about specific needs as early as possible. Sources of information include the Department of Health free leaflet Health Advice for Travellers (available from 0800 555 777), your General Practitioner or a specialist travel clinic. At the time of publication, no inoculations are required for travellers to France from the UK. The Department of Health leaflet T5 gives general health information for travellers inside the EU and is obtainable fro Post Offices.

P] The Foreign and Commonwealth Advice Unit

This unit may have issued advice about your holiday destination. You are advised to check this on Ceefax p 470 onwards or on the web at www.fco.gov.uk. Alternatively you can contact the ABTA Information Department on 0901 201 5050 (calls cot 50p per minute).